Meter provers and flow providing components utilize a known traceable volume to simulate actual operating conditions and to test and verify the performance of a flow meter. A SVP (Small Volume Prover) or piston prover can be employed to accurately measure flow in a fluid flow process and to calibrate, for example, a flow measurement device employed in custody transfers, pipe lines, etc. Small volume provers generally include a precisely honed cylinder with sensors that detect the initiation and termination of a stroke of a piston. Data concerning the volume of the stroke can then be employed to verify the volume measured by the device under test.
Small volume prover designs are generally not compatible with contaminated crude oil utilized in an oil and gas industry as such crude oil contains a higher concentration of trash and particulate matter. A problem associated with such prover designs is that the foreign material cannot be removed from the operation of the prover and subsequently, the collected debris can cause premature wear to the prover's internal components and surface. A vertically mounted prover can be employed, for example, as a solution to remove the foreign material from the prover. Such a design feature, however, is costly and non-user friendly, and is not retroactively compatible with earlier developments.
Based on the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for an improved self-flushing small volume prover apparatus and method for removing foreign material from the prover, as will be described in greater detail herein.